A member of the Heart Rhythm Society, Dr. Sanjiv Narayan is a professor of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford University. Sanjiv M Narayan is dedicated to helping cardiologists develop cutting-edge therapies for treating patients with arrhythmia.
A condition that occurs when electrical impulses in the heart become irregular, arrhythmia results in the heart beating too slow, too fast, or without a normal pattern. Symptoms of arrhythmia may include sweating, chest pain, dizziness, or shortness of breath. Certain medical conditions, such as diabetes, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, or thyroid disease can increase a person's chance of having an arrhythmia.
At the University of California, a group of researchers has also investigated the potential genetic link between heart attacks and arrhythmia, as these two medical issues only occur in a subset of the population. During the research study, the actions of mutated versions of a gene called 9p21 were investigated. It was discovered that when a heart attack occurs, the mutated gene activates a signaling protein called JNK that performs a key role in triggering arrhythmia. JNK sends signals that break the connection between heart cells, thus causing the heart to beat irregularly
